Monday, December 22, 1975

Now I can't tell you exactly when these tracks were recorded or even where, but it is safe to say they were probably done between the debut gig on Halloween and Christmas. Barefootin' was recorded live at Moran's in Dublin around this time as well.

Oh Yeah starts with a guitar from Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell, and then turns into something the early Stones would have been proud of. That very distinct lyrical guitar solo from Gerry Cott is there as well.Kicking in with a Wilko Johnson-like guitar riff and harmonica,

My Blues Away echoes early Dr. Feelgood. Ultimately it comes out as a fast paced (She’s Gonna) Do You In even down to the Harmonica break in the middle of the song and the obligatory R’n’B guitar solo.

Another prototype here in the shape of Sad Boys which sounds like I Can Make it if you Can, more influence from the Stones this time from the Exile on Main Street/Goats Head Soup era in the early seventies. Piano and Hammond to the fore, and a great guitar solo. Plenty of nice harmonies off the lead vocal.

As urgent as Lookin’ After No. 1, Fanzine Hero launches off immediately at a breakneck speed. And then suddenly, the song comes down a honky tonk piano solo, straight out of the Jools Holland repertoire before it starts off again with an almost country-like guitar solo and then back to the relentless drive of the song. Unlike the other tracks here, Fanzine Hero was broadcast on Boxing Day 1979 as part of Paul Gambachini's Year of the Rat on BBC Radio 1, along with other rare Rats material.

It is extraordinary that such good tracks never saw the light of day until the reissues at the start of this year. However the material on the debut album is so strong, and there was no more than about 40 minutes to play with on a conventional vinyl LP.